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University of Michigan Athletics

Michigan Cheer and Dance Teams Generic

Michigan Cheer Team Places in Top Three at Nationals

4/6/2018 6:54:00 PM | Spirit Department

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The University of Michigan cheer team placed second in the Intermediate Coed Division I category and third in the new Game Day category at the 2018 NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship on Friday (April 6).

"It was an awesome last month with us spending three or four days in a different city each week," said head coach Pam St. John. "Our practice time was limited because of travel, but I feel like top-five finishes by both our teams and our dance program make us one of the premier spirt programs in the Big Ten."

Michigan qualified for Friday's finals by placing sixth in the prelims with a score of 91.43. The Wolverines knew what they needed to fix after receiving three deduction points.

U-M came back to post the top raw score in the finals with a 95.73, just .03 in front of the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. However, a .25 deduction was given to Michigan to drop them down below UAFS for a second-place overall finish.

It was a drastic improvement from the prelims to the finals as Michigan improved its score by over four points to improve on last year's third-place finish.  

The Game Day category was a new addition to nationals this season and the Wolverines finished third in their first time competing as a mixed group of cheer, dance and marching band members.

U-M scored 91.52 to come in right behind North Carolina State (94.10) and North Texas (93.67). Michigan moved up two slots after recording the fifth-best score during the prelims session. The Wolverines improved their team score by nearly two points from Thursday to Friday.

"I have nothing but praise for how both of our teams competed," said St. John. "We made modifications after Thursday, removing a couple of difficult elements and the teams nailed their routines. I want to thank the dance team and marching band for working with us. I am excited to continue to work with them going forward."